Keratea
Keratea (Greek: Κερατέα) is a municipality of the Greek prefecture of Attica. Keratea is linked with a 4-lane highway (GR-91 to Glyka Nera and Sounio. Keratea is located approximately 41km southeast of Athens, South of the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport and the Attiki Odos (numbers 6 and 62), North West of Cape Sounio and South of the Hymettus Ring.
Keratea was founded between 700 and 500 BC, according to ancient sources.
The mountains dominate the Southern and Northern parts of the municipality. Panion, in the South, consists of rocks and grasslands, with forests in the valley areas. In the center of the region is a valley which is connected with Mesogeia.
Until the 1960s and the 1970s, agriculture was the main industry of Keratea. Later, Keratea attracted many small businesses and light industrial enterprises, as it became part of the Athens Metropolitan Area. Suburban housing arrived in the 1970s and 1980s and new construction continues to this day. A small part of the population are still leading a rural existence. In the 1980s, a bypass was constructed 500 m north of Keratea which is partially situated on an abandoned rail link between Lavrio and Kifissia. This new 4-lane highway cuts journey times from central Athens to about an hour and it is very convenient for Athens's new airport. Also, the harbour of Lavrio has been upgraded and many ferries to the Greek Islands depart from there. These developments have attracted many Athenians to the area, some of whom built their second homes on the attractive coast of South Attica.
Other features include a soccer field hundreds of metres west and a hydrogen factory in Keratea.
The rainfalls of November 24, 2005 ravaged the western portions of the municipality, but the rainfall did not flood the community.
Other
Keratea has schools, lyceums, gymnasia, banks, churches, a post office and squares (plateies).
Historical population
| Year | Population | Change | Municipal population | Change | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7,511 | - | - | - | |
| 1991 | 6,512 | 840/86.70% | 9,715 | 74.8/km² | |
| 2001 | - | - | 13,246 | +3,531/+36.35% | 102.0/km² |
External links
- Official website (in Greek, link to English version available)
- http://members.tripod.com/~Mesogia_Keratea/
- http://www.athleticsclubkeratea.org
- Antenna on Keratea's hydrogen factory (in Greek)
- Map and aerial photos:
- Street map: Street map from Mapquest, MapPoint or Google or Yahoo! Maps
- Satellite images: Google or Microsoft Virtual Earth - image now available
| Northwest: Kouvaras | North: Kouvaras | |
| West: Anavyssos and Kalyvia Thorikou | Keratea | East: Petalies Gulf/Aegean Sea |
| Southwest: Palaia Fokaia | South: Myrtoan Sea | Southeast: Lavrio and Agios Konstantinos |
See also
A portion of content for this article is credited to Wikipedia. Content under GNU Free Documentation License(GFDL)
